58-year-old joins police force, keeps up with rookies

NEW ORLEANS — At the afternoon roll call on a recent day at the NOPD’s Second District you could find, sitting among many of his colleagues, who are in their 20s, a 58-year-old rookie officer Robert Hamilton.

Hamilton knows exactly what he’s getting in to. That’s because it’s not his first time as a rookie officer. He went through the NOPD academy nearly 40 years ago. At the time, it was a natural fit as his brother was an officer in the midst of a 22-year career. His dad had done 20 years on the force and his dad’s uncle was killed in the line of duty in 1917.

However, after several years on the force, and with a growing family, Hamilton opted for a federal job with U.S. Customs. He spent 23 years fighting the war on drugs. But, while his body was in the jungles of South America, his heart was still in NOPD blue.